Here’s where the Broncos found the money to use in free agency

With all of the checks being written these days at Dove Valley it can be difficult to remember that no so long ago, like say about the time 2007 turned to 2008 turned to 2009, the Broncos found themselves one a slide toward the middle of the league’s pack in terms of raw buying power.

The back-to-back Super Bowl wins were a decade in the rearview mirror and suddenly the team’s cash reserves, those available funds to spend on up front, guaranteed money in free agency, didn’t match many of the league’s heavyweights. In fact, it wasn’t close.

And their roster showed it. They were one of the oldest teams in the league back-to-back-to-back seasons as they took chances on older players to far on down side of career bell curve and squandered away too many draft picks.

But then the “new’’ collective bargaining agreement came to be in 2011 and whatever becomes of the 2013 Broncos will be a direct result of that document. In short, the Broncos could not have done what they did this week without it.

Because the rookie wage scale, something even the league’s veteran players wanted, that came out of those negotiations gave the Broncos the cash they’ve needed to assemble a potential Super Bowl favorite.

In 2010, Ndamukong Suh was the No. 2 pick of the draft. He got a $68 million contract with $40 million of that guaranteed.

In 2011, in the first year of the current CBA, the Broncos had the No. 2 pick and selected Von Miller. Miller got a $21 million contract, which is all guaranteed. That is a $19 million difference in guaranteed money and a potentially $47 million difference over the life of the deal in just one first-round slot in just one draft. And had the Broncos had to hand Miller a deal close to Suh’s it is a good bet many of the names the Broncos have secured in free agency, including Peyton Manning and/or Wes Welker, would be elsewhere.

In 2012, the Broncos didn’t make a first-round pick, getting a player who played like a first-rounder in the second round in Derek Wolfe – he started 16 games as a rookie.

This year they have the 28th pick of the draft and even there the difference in cash out the door can be one signing elsewhere on teh roster. Last year’s 28th pick, defensive lineman Nick Perry, got a four-year $7.499 million deal, with roughly $6.4 million of that guaranteed.

Couple all of that with the difference in guaranteed money between second-, third- and even fourth-round picks from pre-2011 and the last two drafts and you have discovered where the Broncos found the bulk of the financial resources they have used this week.

They didn’t make that much more money in the last two year’s, it’s just the league’s rookies got less of it.

As it should be or as Elway would say, “Rookie contracts were way out of whack!”

Ted

The Denver Broncos Super Bowl trophies are both tainted and tarnished due to their circumventing the salary cap during both seasons. It would not surprise me if they’re doing it again this season.

Pretty funny that the Broncos are trying to buy another title. They can’t develop a QB, so they’ll just buy one. Can’t develop CB’s, so just trade for/buy them. Can’t develop RB’s anymore, so they just buy those. In need of a slot receiver? Just buy one. Tight Ends? Buy ’em.

The Broncos just cannot draft players well at all. The Broncos are looking like the Washington Redskins West. Spend a ton of money, but fail miserably.

cmrn631

Where have we failed miserable? I agree it would be nice to build through the draft but they’re were numerous teams throwing money at these big name guys we have signed it’s not as if we out bid everyone else for their services they choose to come here because they see we have our ducks in a row and have a tradition of winning.

additionbysubtraction

Ducks in a row…Dumervil having to be released…sounds as if you really have a handle on things. Well done.

Ted

They had to release Dumervil because they were already circumventing the salary cap as they always do.

DMM

Fail miserably??? Ya last year 13-3 is a huge failure…Can’t draft??? Von Miller, 4 of the starting 5 offensive lineman (not counting Kuper), Decker, Demarius, Ronnie Hillman, they also drafted their qb of the future already…shut-up quit wasting out time on here “ted”.

All Real Bronco Fans

Not winning even one playoff game after all the hype of bringing Manning here is a failure, yes.

Heh… “Even” the vets wanted to limited the money committed to the new young guns, huh? Hmmm, I wonder why they’d feel that way…

beemer

“ted” is a patriots fan, sore loser.

Broncobet

Great work Mr. Elway this is one of the most exciting off seasons ever!!(Remember when we traded for #7?That was pretty fun too!That worked out pretty well)So am I figuring out the time difference right,we’ll know about doom in 12 minutes?

additionbysubtraction

Uh oh…Dumervil released!!! Well, at least there’s more room to bring in Manning’s buddy, Freeney. Definitely intentional, Dumervil agreed to the paycut a half hour before the deadline, but the agent didn’t fax it in on time. Please, Dumervil didn’t want to look like the bad guy agreeing to restructure, so agent painted as the traitor. What a mess!!!

Broncobet

I really like it when I read stuff like Vasquez answering who was toughest to play against he said”Vickerson” Now he only has to line up against him in practice and whoever Bolts get to replace him won’t be as good. Go Broncos!!(Stay home Elvis!)

teebs

The part I liked best is all the post’s when they announced Dumervil agreed to the reduced contract, then it all went down in flames. You know whats really whack? Elway not paying Doom to keep him off the Chiefs sideline. Let’s face it folks, Elway does not belong in a front office.

metalman5050

This is all interesting, but isn’t it a bit of a moot point since all teams are benefiting from the same agreement. Every team would still be up against the ridiculous rookie contracts if they hadn’t corrected that problem. It is great (and long over due) that it finally got done as it was crippling the NFL IMO.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.